Loving Today’s Challenge!
My 13-year-old son and I had quite the adventure this morning! We frequently walk by a ______ landscaped (美化的) yard with a nice little flower garden. I wanted to ______ my thanks for the time and effort put in by the ______, but I’ve never seen him or her, so we went to a local nursery and bought a gift card that I will leave with a ______ and a smile card the next time that I pass by.
We also ran to Walmart and ______ a few $ 10 gift cards along with some note cards and our other ______. While we were putting our things away in the car, my son ______ that a lady that had just parked next to us looked a little ______. As soon as she entered the ______, we grabbed (夺取) a note card, made a note ______, and added a gift card for her to find when she got back to her ______, hoping to comfort her feelings.
After that, we went for a(n) ______ breakfast. The restaurant was pretty ______ and the people working in the kitchen seemed to be busy forever. A young couple ______ across the dining room from us was having some trouble with their ______, who looked to be about four or five. He grew ______ and impatient with the wait and they had their hands ______ keeping him from making troubles.
I remember being in their ______, so I stopped their ______ and had their breakfast added to my check. Great ______ to my day, and I can’t wait to do it again!
1.A. smoothly B. carelessly C. roughly D. beautifully
2.A. express B. recognize C. design D. accept
3.A. nurse B. dentist C. gardener D. passer-by
4.A. present B. note C. book D. diploma
5.A. bought B. borrowed C. sold D. imported
6.A. instruments B. desserts C. vegetables D. groceries
7.A. suspected B. observed C. imagined D. reserved
8.A. elegant B. generous C. excited D. upset
9.A. store B. clinic C. bank D. nursery
10.A. slowly B. unwillingly C. quickly D. shyly
11.A. house B. car C. bike D. bench
12.A. early B. delicious C. expensive D. late
13.A. decorated B. empty C. packed D. deserted
14.A. lain B. loaded C. seated D. arranged
15.A. kid B. daughter C. dog D. pet
16.A. defenseless B. tireless C. careless D. restless
17.A. available B. full C. normal D. necessary
18.A. shorts B. gloves C. shoes D. socks
19.A. waitress B. child C. customer D. hostess
20.A. end B. start C. story D. dream
For over one hundred and fifty years,Americans of all social classes have worn blue jeans.1..Whether they are worn for work or for fashion today,Strauss' invention continues to be popular not only among Americans but also among people around the world.
Levis Strauss was born in Germany in 1829.2..He grew up in Kentucky before moving to New York in 1847, before becoming an American citizen and moving to the West in 1853,Strauss worked in his brother's dry goods business.This gave him a chance to produce his famous invention.After the gold rush of 1849,Strauss decided to move to the West to seek his fortunes.
Strauss did not want to be a person who searched an area for minerals.Instead,he knew he could make a good living by selling supplies to the miners.At first,he planned to sell sewing supplies and cloth.3..When he heard miners complaining that their clothes were easily broken or they usually tore their pockets during mining he decided to use a special fabric to make pants for the miners.These pants proved so popular that he quickly ran out of materials to make more.
In 1873,Strauss received a letter from a Jewish tailor named Jacob Davis who had invented a process of connecting pockets with copper rivets（铆钉）.This made the pants last a long time.Because Davis did not have the money to patent his idea,he offered to share it with Strauss if Strauss would agree to pay for the patent.4..
By the time Strauss died in 1902,he had made a great contribution to American fashion.
5..The business has been growing ever since and Levi Strauss & Company is now one of the largest clothing companies in the world.
A.As a young boy,he moved with his family to the United States.
B.Nobody knew what kind of material was suitable.
C.He did and Levi jeans have been made with metal rivets ever since.
D.However,he did not get lunch business from those products.
E.He also made a great contribution to America's clothing-industry.
F.Since they were invented by Levi Strauss,they have become a symbol of American consumer culture.
G.As the business grew,Strauss got much money from it.
Sunstroke is a condition that can quickly go from dangerous to deadly, especially if proper care isn’t given immediately.
Sunstroke, sometimes called heatstroke, is a result of the body temperature rising above safe limits. This causes the body’s necessary functions to stop working.
It’s usually pretty easy to avoid sunstroke, as long as proper action is taken. In that case, you need to act as quickly as possible to return that person’s body to a safe temperature. Here are a few tips to help treat sunstroke.
Call for help
Call to get an ambulance as quickly as possible. This should be the first thing you do, especially if the sunstroked person has fainted (昏迷). Also, call for help from anyone nearby if you’re in a public place. If there’s no one around, call someone nearby if they can get there sooner than an ambulance. Ask everyone to bring you as much water as possible, if there isn’t much nearby.
Get the person to a cooler area
If there’s a building nearby, aim for that. Anywhere with plenty of air conditioning and water is perfect. If a building isn’t available, bring the person to a well shaded area.
Get the water flowing
If the person is still conscious, get him or her to drink water. If there’s a bathtub available, fill it with cool water and put the person in it.
If your water supply is limited, you have to save it. Dampen a towel or shirt and put it on the person’s body. Focus on the face, neck, and chest.
Fan the person
Getting moving air over the person cools him or her down. Use anything, a towel or sheet, a shirt, your hands, or a piece of board. This is where having many people around really helps, as they can combine to fan the entire body.
1.When does a person get sunstrok?
A. When the body doesn’t function.
B. When proper care is given immediately.
C. When someone is exposed to the sun too long.
D. When the body temperature goes up beyond what one can bear.
2.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A. The first aid for sunstroke.
B. The cause of sunstroke.
C. The chief symptoms of sunstroke.
D. The essential preventions of sunstroke.
3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A. To call for assistance from others.
B. To leave the sunstroked person in the shade.
C. To apply a wet towel to the person’s face.
D. To help the person take some medicine.
4.The text probably comes from .
A. a guide book B. a book review
C. a medical magazine D. an official document
The ancient city of Chichen Itza in southern Mexico was one of the most powerful cities and one of the most powerful ancient cultures — the Maya. But today, no one lives there. It is only a group of old buildings. However, people from around the world still come to see it. People come to learn about its ancient culture, the culture of the Mayan people.
The Mayan culture began almost 3,000 years ago and grew in parts of Central America. But about 1,000 years ago a group called the Itza invaded the city and built new parts of the city based on natural wells. They named the city Chichen Itza, which means “mouth of the well of the Itza”.
The most interesting structure in Chichen Itza is the Pyramid of Kukulcan (库库尔坎金字塔), whose four sides all come together at one point at the top. Each side on the Pyramid of Kukulcan has 91 steps. And there is one more step at the top of the pyramid. The steps are as many as the days of a year. Some experts believe the Maya could have used this building to help them know when to plant crops. Each day the sun falls on a different step of the pyramid, which could be a way to follow the year.
The people of Chichen Itza especially designed one building to observe and study the movement of the stars and planets. Experts say that the observatory (天文台) is one of the most complex structures the Maya built. A set of steps went up and around the observatory tower. And there were windows in the tower. Each window had a purpose. Experts believe that a person looking through one of these windows could see particular stars on particular dates. The Maya might have believed that studying the stars could tell them the future.
Chichen Itza is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important part of the world’s history.
1.Visitors came to the city of Chichen Itza to .
A. view its beautiful scenery
B. experience and explore the Mayan culture
C. study and observe other stars on the observatory
D. learn something about when to plant crops
2.Why did the invaders name the city “mouth of the well of the Itza”？
A. Because wells can be seen in or around the city.
B. Because it is large in size.
C. Because the city is newly-built.
D. Because its location is vital.
3.Which of the following is true?
A. Chichen Itza is one of the World Heritages.
B. The Pyramid of Kukulcan has 364 steps.
C. Windows in the tower predict the weather in the future.
D. The city of Chichen Itza has a long history of 3,000 years.
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To evaluate the Mayan culture.
B. To persuade readers to pay a visit.
C. To introduce the ancient city of Chichen Itza.
D. To present the development of the Mayan construction.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Camp is great! I have met a lot of new friends. Jim is from California, Eric is from Iowa, and Tony is from Missouri. We have a great time together, swimming, boating, hiking, and playing tricks on other campers! Every night, we go to another tent secretly and try to scare other campers by making scary noises. It’s so funny to see them run out screaming! Now, don’t worry, Mom. I’m not going to get caught like I did last year.
One thing that is different from last year is how many bugs (昆虫) there are! I have at least 100 mosquito bites and about 25 ant bites. Every time I go outside, horseflies chase me, too! Other than all these buggy bugs, I’m having the best time!
Love,
Tyler
Dear Tyler,
Are you sure you are okay? All of those bugs sound awful! Have you used all of the “Itch-Be-Gone” cream I got you? How about the “Ants’k Awful” lotions (护肤液) for the ant bites? You and your aunt Ethel have always seemed to attract those nasty fire ants.
Now Tyler, I am very happy that you have met some new friends and that you are having fun together. However, you MUST stop trying to scare other campers. Remember, honey, some campers may be scared easily. I want you to apologize for any anxiety you may have caused them and start being the nice, polite boy that I know you are. Do you hear me, Tyler? Please be careful. I want you to come here safely.
Love,
Mom
1.Why did Tyler write the letter to his parents?
A. To describe his interesting camp experiences.
B. To express his regret about scaring others.
C. To ask his parents for advice about camping.
D. To tell his parents about his sufferings at camp.
2.The underlined word “chase” in the first letter probably means “ ”.
A. fly away B. get rid of C. put up with D. run after
3.Tyler’s mother advises him to .
A. buy more lotion for the bites
B. return with a few friends
C. avoid scaring other campers
D. turn to the police when in trouble
When Sabrina Vega was 5 years old, a friend invited her to a party held at a gym where Sabrina discovered that she loved doing gymnastics.
A few nights after the party, Sabrina had a dream. She told her mother, Jahira, about the dream. Jahira said, “Sabrina said that in her dream she went to the Olympics. She described everything at this international competition. At first I did not take her story seriously.”
But Sabrina kept talking about her dream. She told it to her father, David. So Jahira and David decided to pay for Sabrina to learn gymnastics.
So Sabrina started to train at a special and competitive gym. Though only 7 years old, she was already training to compete at a high level. The years passed quickly. Sabrina got better and better. By the time she was 12 years old, Sabrina was training so many hours each day that she did not have time to do things that many other Americans of an age did.
When Sabrina was 13, she had a chance to compete in a national gymnastics event. If she did well, the event would give her the chance to join the national team — the team that trains for the Olympics.
But the family was out of money. Jahira had to tell Sabrina that she could not go. Jahira said, “Tears came to her eyes, and she said, ‘I understand’.”
A week or two later, a rich family came to visit Sabrina’s gym unexpectedly. They watched Sabrina train. Then they asked to talk to her mother. The rich family offered Jahira all the money they needed!
Eventually, Sabrina Vega competed at the 2012 Olympic Trials. She finished 10th in the all-round.
1.Sabrina Vega had a dream to .
A. go to the party
B. do gymnastics
C. take part in the Olympics
D. attend a national competition
2.From the passage, we can infer .
A. Sabrina’s parents were tired of her talking
B. Sabrina’s parents loved her and were moved by her
C. Sabrina’s parents supported her dream even at the beginning
D. Sabrina became a national team player at the age of twelve
3.What does the author want to tell us?
A. All roads lead to Rome.
B. Early birds catch worms.
C. Practice makes perfect.
D. God bless the determined and hard-working.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. A talented girl B. The caring parents
C. An Olympic dream D. A helping hand
